Author: Sonja Francis

THE retiring Mayor of  Thame, Cllr Peter Lambert, in delivering a report of his year in office, has spoken of the joys and the difficulties of being a town councillor, and issued a challenge to the council’s critics.

Speaking at the annual Thame Town Meeting on Tuesday (May 6), he told the packed hall: “It has been suggested that in the world of politics brown envelopes change hands. I don’t do politics and I must admit I thought the same thing before becoming a member of this council.  I have since learned that all the councillors give up their free time to make a difference. We come from all walks of life, are only human and cannot please everyone all of the time. We try to do the right thing but it’s not always easy when, for instance, the Government keeps changing the legislation! If you feel we are not doing what you want think we should be doing, then step up to the plate yourselves. “

He concluded: For my part, it’s been an absolute honour to be Mayor of this town with its incredible community spirit. Thank you everyone for what has been such an amazing, rewarding and unforgettable year.”

After summing up with the highlights of his year – including getting ‘gunked’ by hundreds of children at Thame Show, of being dubbed ‘the Singing Mayor’ after so memorably leading the singing at the Senior Citizens’ Christmas party, of opening the new Health Centre in April, extended to accommodate Thame’s growing population, and of meeting musical legend, Tony Hadley at last weekend’s phenomenally successful Music In The Park, the Mayor revealed that he had raised a total of £7,000 for his chosen two charities.

He presented a cheque for £3,500 each to Pat Shepherd, the Chair of Thame Players, who are raising funds to extend and improve the theatre in Nelson Street, and to Michelle Diffey, Founder of Safari, a charity which supports young adults with learning difficulties.

The spirited enthusiasm of Safari members in the audience livened up the proceedings of this normally formal occasion, especially when one of their members, David, thanked the Mayor and presented him with a picture of the group with a special thank-you message.

Cllr Lambert concluded with a rallying call to others in the audience to put themselves forward for election to the town council next year, May 2015, adding: “If I can do it, anyone can.”

A new Mayor of Thame will be elected by fellow town councillors at the Council’s AGM next Tuesday, May 13, 2014.

ONCE upon a time, Thame had a thriving ‘Thame in Bloom’ group that helped to keep the town attractive by organising annual Best Garden competitions and other activities, including planting thousands of daffodil bulbs along the by-pass and the Aylesbury Road.

Thame In Bloom was lead for many years by the late Len Webb but four years ago, the group disbanded when the long-standing committee became, in the words of one their number, Mavis Ayres: “…too old and tired to carry on.” For a while, the group was lead by the then Mayor of Thame, Adam Buckland, but he had to retire from the post because of business and family committments.

Now, the current Mayor of Thame, Peter Lambert, is hoping that Thame In Bloom can once more blossom, after Mavis Ayres raised the question of its possible rebirth at last night’s Thame Town Meeting.

So, if you or anyone you know with an interest in horticulture, gardening and/or specifically flowers, is interested in forming a Thame In Bloom group, the Mayor would would like to hear from you. You can contact him via the Town Hall on 01844 212833.

STUDENTS at Lord Williams’s School, Thame, have been chosen by the gay-rights charit Stonewall, to design campaigns to address homophobic language and bullying.

Students in Year 10, led by Amy Hunt, produced a video which told the story of a female student, played by Katie Wakeling, who felt the need to hide her sexuality because of fear of prejudice and the lack of positive images of same sex couples. Students presented this video to a Year 8 assembly, encouraging students to be good role models in the school community.

Year 12 students, led by Zac Kilroy-Silk, also filmed a video about a young man getting to grips with the term “gay” and how its meaning has changed over time. They challenged the use of the word gay to mean something “broken”, “useless” or “defective” and encouraged their Year 9 audience to embrace diversity within society. The film was made by Jonny Gardner-Cobb and the lead role was played by Hamish Riddell.

The film was followed by a balloon race so that students could spread their message far and wide. They designed a logo for the balloons with the slogan “Change the Meaning”. They made sure that everything they used was eco-friendly and bio-degradable. A prize will be awarded to the person who finds the balloon which lands furthest from Thame.

The film and photographs of the events will be available to view on the school’s website www.lordwilliams.oxon.sch.uk

School Manager, Dawn Armitage, said: “The students have worked extremely hard on their campaigns and have produced high quality resources which we can share with the rest of the school community. They have shown great commitment to promoting equality and diversity and we are very proud of them and their achievements.”

A SECOND year Pharmacy student from Thame, who holds the World Record for the number of consecutive netball passes, has volunteered to climb Mount Kilimanjaro to raise funds for the charity, Dig Deep, which helps communities in Kenya gain access to good sanitation, clean water and renewable energy.

Jodie Hine, 20, is currently studying at Keele University, and will tackling, what is the highest free-standing mountain in the world, at the end of August with a group of fellow students.

Jodie explained: “Dig Deep is an amazing charity, run entirely by volunteers and relies on donations to keep it running! Through working with a range of inspirational local partners, they help communities to drill wells, harvest rainwater and access renewable technologies so that they are empowered to overcome the challenges they face. These are things we take for granted here in the United Kingdom, hence why providing other countries with this basic need is so important.

“This will be the most physically challenging experience I will ever encounter and I am thrilled to be raising money and taking part, whilst also studying for my degree. I see this challenge as an opportunity to be creative and to have fun, as well as extending my outlook on third world countries and lesser-privileged human people in the world. I have done the majority of my fundraising at university, including the world record, fancy dress days and organising parties at the students union. I am hoping to do more in order to reach my target before July.”

You can find out more about the charity Dig Deep, by visiting its website: http://digdeep.org.uk/ and to donate to Jodie’s epic fund-raising efforts, here: https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/jodiehineclimbskilimanjaro